The elusive Mr. Raski.

This week’s top new track was Huoratron‘s ‘Male Bonding.’ I know very little about this band, apart from it seems to be the working name for a Finn called Aku Raski. I’ve been playing it for a couple of weeks after hearing it on Sound Of Suomi. Which is apparently the ‘The Electro Sound Of Finland.’ Every time I’ve played this track, people have come up and asked what it was so I urge you to check out the streaming clip on the band website. I just love the fatass bassline and those game noises. It’s one of the funkiest electronic tracks I’ve heard in a long time. As the kids in Escorts parked under flyovers say, bangin’!

The best old track this week was another one powered by an electronic drumbeat. It was the grimy classic, ‘He’s A Whore’ as covered by unpopular beat combo Big Black. I say unpopular because Big Black are one of those ’80s alternative bands that far more people like and talk about now than when they were going. Like the Pixies. Big Black’s shadow hangs hugely over large swathes of modern hardcore, posthardcore, industrial and heavier goth. Just listen to that pounding drum machine kick which modern human drummers in metal/industrial bands do their best to replicate. Give up, lads – you’ll never have the anger or balls that Big Black did. They weren’t pretending.

I am a sweetheart, I am a prom queen, I am some puppies:

The Come Ons – Mesmerizer
American Analog Set – The Only One
M83 – Slowly
MC Solaar – Nouveau Western
Taking Back Sunday – Cute Without The “E”
Felix Da Housecat – Short Skirts
Sugar – Changes
Husker Du – Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely
Rilo Kiley – Accidntel Deth
Lamb Of God – A Devil In God’s Country
Jova Stojiljkovic – Izrael Orijent (Hava Nagila)
Proof – Bring It 2 Me
Lali Puna – Faking The Books
Huoratron – Male Bonding
Of Montreal – Chrissie Kiss The Corpse
Pretty Girls Make Graves – Speakers Push The Air
Mr. Lif – The Unorthodox
Broken Social Scene – Cause = Time
The Normal- Warm Leatherette
Rogue Wave – Every Moment
Jurassic 5 – The Influence
Descendents – GCF
Postal Service – Nothing Better
Throwdown – Intro (Never Back Down)
Mark B And Blade – The Unknown
Wauvenfold – Obliq Itch
Death Cab For Cutie – This Temporary Life
De Puta Madre – Vandal
Maritime – Some One Has To Die
Lagwagon – Know It All
Goudron – Art School Fuckheads
Jonathan Richman – This Kind Of Music
Big Black – He’s A Whore
The Good Life – [November] Lovers Need Lawyers
Deerhoof – The Eyebright Bugler
Le Tigre – Bang! Bang!
Sweatshop Union – Us (Prod. By Mr. Marmalade)
XTC – Senses Working Overtime
Boards Of Canada – Roygbiv
Man Or Astroman – Within One Universe There Are Millions
Magnetic Fields – The Death Of Ferdinand De Saussure
Mobb Deep – Shook Ones Pt. I
Melt-Banana – RRAGG
The Extra Glenns – All Rooms Cable AC Free Coffee
The Radio Dept. – 1995
Bread – Baby I’m – A Want You